Weigela florida Brigela

Weigela florida 'Brigela', aslo known as Moulin Rouge, is a variety that is both reliable, flowering, and has very bright variegated foliage. Its light green leaves, edged with golden yellow and creamy yellow, tolerate sunny exposures well, and its flowering is both abundant and brilliant, in the form of tubular flowers of a very vivid carmine pink. This deciduous bush with a modest stature in harlequin dress will bring a lot of cheerfulness to a rustic or romantic flower bed and will enliven a flowering hedge for a large part of the year.

Native to northern China, Japan, and Korea, Weigela florida is a deciduous bush belonging to the Caprifoliaceae family. This calcicolous bush (appreciating limestone soils) has a fibrous and trailing root system, which tolerates transplantation perfectly. The Moulin Rouge cultivar, sometimes marketed under the name 'French Lace', has an erect, rounded, and bushy habit, forming a ramified bush of about 1.25 metres (4 feet 1 inches) in all directions on average. Its funnel-shaped flowers have an intermediate colour between red and pink, which is very bright. They are borne in corymbs, at the end of the previous year's and current year's branches, and bloom abundantly for the first time from May to June. The summer rebloom is more sporadic and irregular, depending on the climate. It is also highly attractive to bees and butterflies. Its variegated foliage is composed of sessile, pubescent, oval to elliptical leaves, with a bright green colour edged with more or less bright or pale yellow, sometimes tinged with red.

Hardy down to -20°C (-4 °F), Weigelia Brigela thrives in sunny or semi-shady positions, in ordinary, moist but well-drained soil. This variety, as attractive for its foliage as for its flowering, brings a lot of whimsy to the garden. In a flower bed, for example, give it companions such as Physocarpus, pheasant trees (Leycesteria formosa), ornamental brambles, a small viburnum chosen for its autumn colours (Viburnum 'Bailey Compact'), or a Callicarpa. In the background, the very dark foliage of hollies, Mahonia, or yews will provide a dark setting for its bright foliage and ensure the winter decor. This Weigela can also be planted as a standalone specimen to attract attention in small gardens.